CURZON, INDIA AND EMPIRE:
The Papers of Lord Curzon (1859-1925) from the Oriental and India Office Collections at the British Library, London

Part 1: Demi-official correspondence, c.1898-1905

"He was a man of vision who, unlike his predecessors, had wanted his position and came to it with an unequalled knowledge of Asian affairs. Curzon was certainly the most attractive and intelligent Viceroy, and India's best ruler under the British Raj."
Lawrence James, writing in Raj: the making and unmaking of British India (1997).

The Papers of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, 1898-1905, and British Foreign Secretary, 1919-1924, from the British Library (MS.EUR F111 & F112) document all aspects of his involvement with the Middle East and South Asia and provide a rich source for historians of Empire.  As befits a man noted for efficiency and organisation, the papers are formidably well-organised. Part 1 offers an ideal introduction to his ambitions for India.  It contains:

• A substantial series of demi-official correspondence, with the Queen-Empress and King-Emperor, the Secretary of State for India, and leading figures in British and Indian politics. These are a crucial source for understanding the relationship between Britain and India, the significance of the Durbar and displays of power, the encouragement of Indian self-government, agricultural reforms, the 'great game' and the importance of frontiers.